All posts by Stephen Cooke

NJPN Conference Information

The National Justice & Peace Network Annual Conference will take place at Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire from 19- 21July 2024.

The theme for the weekend is ‘Just Politics’ and the aim  to explore the need for truth and integrity in public life. As people of faith, how are we called to work towards honest dialogue and respectful listening in political and social engagement and seek good governance in all seats of power; local, national, and global? What is our gut response when we hear, via our news channels, that the forthcoming election will be full of ‘dirty tricks and muckraking’   How should we respond to such a depressing and  alarming prediction. Is this the level of public discourse that we must accept?

Sir John Battle will chair the conference, bringing his vast knowledge and  experience of  Catholic Social Teaching in action  both in the political sphere and community engagement.  

During the weekend we will hear from Keynote speakers, take part in workshops, find resources and information in the ‘Just Fair’ and listen to the voices of young adults as they share their hopes and concerns for the future of our world.  

 Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford,  will explore some of the dynamics of public discourse, the implications for individuals and society, some possible solutions and opportunities for Christians and the Church to play a positive role.  Molly Scott Cato, Former Green MEP and currently Finance and Economy Spokesperson for the Green Party will speak about how untruth is undermining democracy. Steve Whiting, former manager of the Quaker Turning the Tide Programme, will start to pull together what we have learned from speakers and workshops and help us identify common themes. Colette Joyce of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission will facilitate the session with young people speaking about their concerns, what action they can take and what they look for from others.

 The final part of the conference be facilitated by Fr Chris Hughes and Sara  Bryson who will share and describe how they have used community organising in campaigns in Tyne and Wear Citizens. They will focus on how participants accept the challenges raised during the weekend  and  how we move forward in our action for peace and social justice.

Anne Peacey.

Chair NJPN  

 

 

 

 

Conference 2024

NJPN joins calls for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

NJPN joins call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

140+ Global Christian Leaders Call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire and Halt of Arms Sales to Israel

In a new letter released during Holy Week ahead of Easter, more than 140 bishops and executive leaders from churches, denominations, and churchbased organizations in the UK, US and around the world call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, urge the UK, US and other world powers to halt additional arms sales to Israel, and make clear that Israel, the UK, the US and all countries must abide by Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The letter signatories include current and retired Anglican Bishops, including a Lord Spiritual, a US Catholic Bishop, a Catholic Cardinal, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, and many other notable figures from a wide range of churches, including Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite, Quaker, and Evangelical leaders, from as far afield as Columbia and South Korea.

The letter is reproduced below in full:

March 26, 2024

As Christians around the world prepare to commemorate the final suffering in the earthly life of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, we stand in solidarity with all in the Holy Land who suffer. During Passion Week, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox alike engage in prayer, reflection, and repentance. We repent of the ways we have not stood alongside our Palestinian siblings in faithful witness in the midst of their grief, agony, and sorrow. Christian witness and engagement with the world must be marked by faithfulness to God, love of neighbor, and mercy toward those who are suffering and in need. For the Holy Scriptures teach, “Uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” (Psalm 82:3).  

As the ongoing devastation, bombing, and ground invasion in Gaza continue into their sixth month, Palestinians, including our Palestinian Christian siblings, cry out to the world, asking, “Where are you?” World leaders have responded with empty rhetoric and political volleying about addressing the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza while ignoring the direct causes of the catastrophe. Those causes are the daily bombing and ground invasion by the Israeli military, in addition to the shutting off of basic life-sustaining services to more than two million people who are suffering the consequences of crimes not their own.

As of March 25, 2024, at least 32,333 people in Gaza have been killed, and more than 74,694 have been injured, the vast majority of them women and children. Gaza has been declared one of the most dangerous places in the world to live, where “no place is safe” according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the situation as desperate, as children are dying from hunger and dehydration. The WHO reports that 15 percent of children under the age of two in northern Gaza show signs of wasting, suggesting a serious and rapid decline over just a few months, which is unprecedented globally. The horrific actions Hamas committed on October 7th in no way justify the massive deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military.

The average number of people killed every day in Gaza is just under two hundred people a day, with roughly one person dying every eight minutes. The slaughter continues every day even as more and more men, women, and children are pulled out from underneath the rubble, and more than 1.8 million people remain displaced. As of late January, reports indicate more than half of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed. All of this compounds the devastation that Palestinians have experienced during Israel’s 16+ year blockade of Gaza and the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza since 1967.  

Palestinians, South Africans, and experts around the world have said what is happening in Gaza is nothing less than a genocide. South Africa asserted that the Israeli government engaged in action with “genocidal intent” in its complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ’s preliminary ruling found it “plausible that Israel’s acts [in Gaza] could amount to genocide” and issued provisional measures to seek to prevent further deaths. By the end of February, human rights groups around the world asserted Israel had already violated the ICJ ruling by intentionally limiting humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The global church—and world—cannot be silent as people continue to die in Gaza by military assault, lack of adequate medical care, hunger, and disease.  

The U.S., the U.K., Israel, and other countries must uphold their responsibility as signatories to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The United States and other nations’ further militarization of the conflict makes no one safer and instead prolongs suffering and causes more death and destruction. We call on the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and France to join the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Japan to halt additional military support and arms to Israel and not be complicit in the ongoing military campaign that is having such devastating effects on civilians in Gaza. 

We say, “Enough killing!” and together demand a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.  

On October 7th, Hamas attacked southern Israel and killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and internationals, and took more than 240 people hostage in Gaza. We have been clear in our condemnation of these actions of Hamas, which were an atrocious crime. It is believed 100 hostages or more could still be held captive in Gaza. We have consistently called for the remaining hostages to be returned home to their families.  

We, as global Christian leaders, stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine and around the world and say the killing must stop, and the violence must be brought to an end. We ask world leaders to exercise strong moral courage to bring an immediate end to the violence and to open a pathway toward peace and an end to the conflict. We call for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire where all combatants lay down their weapons and Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners held without the due process of law are released. Immediate and adequate humanitarian assistance must be provided for the more than two million Palestinian people in Gaza who have such desperate needs. We support efforts toward a negotiated settlement that addresses the core causes of the current crisis and brings an end to the decades-long violations of the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international law, such solutions must advance security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians. As we prepare for Holy Week, we lament and pray for comfort for all who have lost loved ones over the past months in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel. We know that Jesus himself was among those who suffered, and he comforted the brokenhearted. We say, “Enough atrocities in Gaza; enough violence, death, and destruction! May love triumph over hate.” We hold onto the hope that peace is possible even in the midst of this darkest hour.  

Sister Rosemarie Abate, Secretary, Sisters, Home Visitors of Mary

Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)  

Christine Allen, Director, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)

Rev. Dr. Alex Awad, Board Member, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP)

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate

Diocese, Armenian Church of America, Eastern

Marvin Barnes, Presiding Clerk, Friends General Conference

Rev. Dr. Bonnie Bates, Conference Minister, Penn Northeast Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, President of the Council of Bishops, The United Methodist Church

Sister Barbara Brigham, Medical Mission Sisters, Justice Office

Sr. Danielle Bonetti, Coordinator of Justice Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Albany

Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Adwoa Burnley, Clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Rev. Laurie Larson Caesar, Bishop, Oregon Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Reverend LaMarco Cable, Co-Executive, Global Ministries of the

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ (UCC)

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)

Bishop Christian Carlassare, Catholic Diocese of Rumbek, South Sudan

Rev. Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference

Sister Janice Cebula, President, Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa USA

Raymond Chang, President, Asian American Christian Collaborative

The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark, Church of England  

Shane Claiborne, Co-founder, Red Letter Christians (RLC)

Rev. Tyler Connoley, Conference Minister, Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC)

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church (TEC)

Rev. Edward Davis, Conference Minister, Southern Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

  1. Todd Deatherage, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Telos

Marie Dennis, Co-President (Emeritus), Pax Christi International

Sister Ricca Dimalibot, MD, Assistant Congregational Leader and

General Councilor, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston

Sister Joan DiProspere, Provincial Councilor, School Sisters of Notre Dame, Central Pacific Province

Bishop Vuyo Dlamini, Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Honorable Assistant Bishop Michael Doe, Anglican Diocese of Southwark The Rev. Emmett L. Dunn, Executive Secretary-Treasurer/CEO Lott

Carey Foreign Baptist Mission Convention

Alister Dutton, Secretary General, Caritas Internationalis  

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Rev. Paul D. Erickson, Bishop, Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Ann Farr, Chair,Pax Christi – England and Wales  

Bishop Gilbert Filter, Cape Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa

Sister Margaret Fitzpatrick, Congregational Leader, Sisters of Charity, Halifax

Cesar Garcia, General Secretary, Mennonite World Conference

Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Minister Glen A. Guyton, Executive Director, Mennonite Church USA

Lisa Sharon Harper, President and Founder , Freedom Road

Linda Haydock, SNJM, Congregation President, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Fr. Lawrence Hayes, OFM, Provincial Minister Province of Our Lady of

Guadalupe

 

Bishop Martin Hayes, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Kilmore

Bruce Henry, Presiding Clerk, Quakers Australia

Rev. Dr. Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church  

Ann Graber Hershberger, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Sister Teresa Hougnon, MM, President Maryknoll Sisters of Saint Dominic

Sister Judy Illig, U.S. Leadership Team, Institute of the Blessed Virgin

Mary

The Right Reverend Dr. John Inge, Lord Bishop of Worcester, Church of England  

Lisa Jernigan, President, Amplify Peace

Kelly Kellum, General Secretary, Friends United Meeting (FUM)

Bishop Donald P. Kreiss, Southeast Michigan Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Jonathan Kuttab, Executive Director, Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA)

Rt. Rev. Michael Langrish, Bishop Emeritus of Exeter, Church of England  

Anselmo Lee, Co-President, Pax Christi Korea

Bishop Dr. Sox Leleki, Methodist Church of Southern Africa  

Tim Livesey, CEO, Embrace the Middle East

Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins, Conference Minister, Heartland Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

John MacMurray, Founder/Director, NW School of Theology and The Open Table Conferences

Sister LaDonna Manternach, President, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Charlotte Marshall, Director, Sabeel-Kairos UK

Archbishop MJ Matebane, Bethel Worship House, Episcopal College of

Pentecostal Bishops and Apostles (ECOPBA)

Jarrod McKenna, Pastor and Founding CEO of CommonGrace.org.au, Steeple Church

Very Rev. Andrew McLellan, C.B.E., Former Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland  

Rev. Dr. Leepo Modise, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

Bridget Moix, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)

Rev. Mzwandile Molo, General Secretary (Acting), South African Council of Churches, The Methodist Church of Southern Africa  

Rev. Shadrack Moloi, Bishop/Moderator, African Presbyterian Bafolisi Church (APBC)  

Bishop Yvette Moses, Cape of Good Hope District, The Methodist Church of Southern Africa  

Father Claude Mostowik, MSC, President, Pax Christi – Australia

Rev. Bishop Mamoalusi Vallerie Mothupi, Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Rev. Dr. Lungile Mpetsheni, General Secretary, The Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa

Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, General Secretary, South African Council of Churches, Ethiopian Episcopal Church, South Africa  

Rev. Gill Newton, President Methodist Conference, Methodist Church in Britain

Archbishop Thami Ngcana, General Secretary, Council of African Independent Churches

Rev. Bishop Sondlile Nkwanyana, The Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Most Reverend William Nolan, Archbishop, Archdiocese of Glasgow

Rev. Moss Ntlha, General Secretary, The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa

Rev. Pumla Nzimande, Presiding Bishop, The Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Father John Oesterle, Board of Directors, Association of Pittsburgh Priests  

Sister Marilyn Omiecyznski, Unit Leader, Presentation Sisters Union, USA Unit

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada

Rev. Freeman L. Palmer, Conference Minister, Central Atlantic

Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Sister Carolina Pardo, Councilor, Sisters of Saint Francis – Rochester, Minnesota

Anne Peacey, Chair, National Justice and Peace Network – England and Wales  

Mark Pilgram, Chairman, Pax Christi – Munich  

Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts,,General Secretary (Emeritus), Ecumenical Officer, Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.

Rev. David K. Popham, Conference Minister, Hawai‘i Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Reverend Shari Prestemon, Acting Associate General Minister & CoExecutive for Global Ministries, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Jennifer Preston, General Secretary, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)

Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of Huehuetenango, Guatemala (Catholic)

Mary Susan Remsgar, OSB, Prioress, Benedictine Sisters of Chicago

Rev. Franz Rigert, Conference Minister, Wisconsin Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Sister Ceil Roeger, Promoter of Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation, Dominican Sisters of Houston

Martha Inés Romero, Secretary General, Pax Christi International

Rev. Chris Rose, Director, Amos Trust

Will Rutt, Executive Director, Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center

Richard L. Santos, President & CEO, Church World Service (CWS)

Deacon Kerry Scarlett, Vice-President of Conference, Methodist Church in Britain  

Sister Debra Sciano, Provincial Leader, School Sisters of Notre Dame  

Sister Maureen Shaughnessy, SC, General Superior, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth

Rev. Grace Shim, Executive Minister, Serve Globally – Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC)

Bishop Dr. Sidwell Mokgothu, Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Andrea Smith, Co-Founder and Board Member, Evangelicals for Justice (E4J)

Rev. David Steele, General Secretary, Church of the Brethren

Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., Bishop of Lexington, Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Pax Christi USA

Jean Stokan, Coordinator, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team

Dr. Jer Swigart, Executive Director, Global Immersion

Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Dawn Tomaszewski, SP, General Superior, Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana

Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Executive Director, Christians for Social Action (CSA)

The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, Lord Bishop of Gloucester and

Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons, Church of England  

Stephen M. Veazey, President, Community of Christ

Sister Joetta Venneman, Western Province Leadership, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth  

Rev. John Vertigan, Conference Minister, Florida Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC)

Sister Genevieve-Marie Vigil, Provincial Superior, Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny

Jim Wallis, Chair and Director, Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University

Colin P. Watson, Sr., Executive Director (Emeritus), Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA)

Julie Watson, Congregational Leader, Union of Sisters of the

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sister Kathy Wiesneski, Councilor, USA Province, Holy Cross SistersSister Rita A. Wigginton, Councilor, Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, KY

Terry Wildman, Chief Director/President, Rain Ministries Inc.

Bishop Louis Williams, Methodist Church of Southern Africa

The Very Reverend John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry, Church of EnglandVery Rev. Thomas Zain, Vicar General, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Mary T. Yelenick, Main Representative to the United Nations, Pax Christi International  

Alfonso Zardi, Délégué Général of Pax Christi France

Rev. Dr. Elijah R. Zehyoue, Co-Director, Alliance of Baptists  

Johnny Zokovitch, Executive Director, Pax Christi USA

Additional Signatories  

Katie Metres Akbar, CMEP Board Representative, Alliance of Baptist  

Mercy Aiken, NEME Manager, Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East  

Rev. Dr. John Anderson, Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN), PCUSA – Bay Area

Robert Atchison, Chair, Menno – Palestine/Israel Network (PIN)

Rev. Harry J. Bury, Professor Emeritus, Twin Cities Nonviolent

Rev. Dr. Rob Dalrymple, Executive Director, Determinetruth

Dr. Andrew DeCort, Founding Director, Institute of Faith and Flourishing  

George Devendorf, CMEP Board Representative, Senior Director,

External Relations, Church World Service (CWS)

Eduardo Dueri, Christian Life Community, Columbia  

Hassan El-Tayyab, CMEP Board Representative, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)  

Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler, CMEP Board Representative, Director, Office of

Peacebuilding and Policy, Church of the Brethren

Sister Helen J. Jaeb, School Sisters of Notre Dame

Grace Keane, OSF, Director Parish Social Ministry, St. Mary of the Hills Catholic Church

Bishop Steven Kellogg, CMEP Board Representative, Community of Christ

Dr. Peter Makari, CMEP Board Representative, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe, Global Ministries of the Christian

Church (Disciples of Christ) and 

United Church of Christ (UCC)

Rev. Joe Roos, Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA)

Carolina Sanchez, Christian Life Community, Columbia

Michael J. Sloboda MM, Asst. Pastor, Rosary Church, Kowloon, Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America

Dr. Rob Trawick, Co-Moderator, Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Rev. Susan P. Wilder, Co-Moderator, Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

https://embraceme.org/news–1/embrace–joins–global–christian–call–for–permanent–gaza–ceasefire  

 

Areas of Conflict

April Update from Seeking Sanctuary

April Update from Seeking Sanctuary

Ben writes: The need for roots

How hard it must be to be separated from our roots – it takes real courage to leave our family, our village, our town, and all that is dear to us.
I have been reflecting on the thoughts of the philosopher Simone Weil who wrote a book on the theme of rootlessness. She wrote: ‘All cultures are rooted throughout humanity. We need these roots. We need a sense of belonging to something that is bigger than us, across space and time, and we underestimate that need at our peril’.
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognised need of the human soul …. a human being has roots by virtue of his real, active participation in the life of a community which preserves expectations for the future’. and: ‘Whoever within his own soul, and in human relations, escapes the dominion of force is loved but is loved sorrowfully because of the threat of destruction hanging over him.’ 
In the face of death, remaining moderate is superhuman’ …
What wise words! How true this is when we remember the plight of migrants not just in their home territory but in a lonely hotel in the UK. Those who have to wait months or even years for decisions feel this sense of rootlessness even more acutely.
A thought: What does the instability in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and South
Sudan have in common? These countries were all ruled by the British in the last 150 years. 
‘The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil’ (Hannah Arendt)

THE MONTH IN THE UK
TV, newspaper, and Internet comment predominantly concerns so-called “illegal” migration and provocative statements by politicians. We try here, as an alternative, to indicate a few matters that have largely gone unreported in the mainstream organs during March.
Despite claims of urgency, Parliament broke for its regular recess without resolving the “ping pong” process flipping the Rwanda Bill between the Lords and Commons. Apparently, we will next see debate on the Rwanda Bill on Monday 15 April, despite various opinions that a) it isn’t going to stop people coming, b) Rwanda isn’t ready yet, and c) there seems to be no way of getting people there.
Towards the end of March there were reports that France is engaged in dangerous pull-back tactics to try to turn boats crossing the Channel back to France. France has previously declined to do this (at least partly supported by UK funds) on the basis that it is against international maritime law. 

Also in March, the Guardian reported a Home Office response to a Freedom of Information (“FoI”) request for data on deaths in asylum accommodation indicating that there had been five deaths between January and June last year. Another organisation contacted the newspaper to say that it had received a response with a figure of 14 deaths!
Official sources said that the reason for the large discrepancy was officials’ interpretation of the word “in,” so that in one case, deaths occurring after transfer to hospital had been omitted because the FoI question did not ask about deaths where the “last known address” had been asylum accommodation.
The National Audit Office has reported on Home Office plans and progress in increasing the amount of asylum accommodation available. The Home Office anticipates spending £4.7
billion on asylum support in the year to March 2024. £3.1 billion of this is to be spent on hotels, up from a figure of £2.3 billion in 2022-23. Having originally assessed that large sites would be around £94 million cheaper than hotels, it now seems that they will cost £46
million more.
In parallel, Byline Times reports that Britannia Hotels makes tens of millions a year from housing asylum seekers in harmful conditions.
David Neal, sacked as the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in February, has written about concerns over the Home Office’s malfunctioning ‘Atlas’ casework system. Rather than “automating” asylum, citizenship and visa applications, Atlas
has instead caused serious delays and errors with a series of bizarre glitches. For example, some figures have to be entered separately into different parts of the system, an exercise that is a frequent source of needless discrepancies.
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK has joined partners to highlight widespread malnutrition and food insecurity among people seeking asylum in London, calling for action to be taken at local and national levels. A report draws upon accounts of people with experience across the different stages of the asylum process – including hotels, dispersal accommodation, and destitution following refusal.
In all cases, people seriously struggled to meet their nutritional needs and those of their children, with a significant negative impact on both physical and mental health. There is evidence of serious health and safety deficiencies in food provided in hotels, including raw or undercooked meat and failure to accommodate medical dietary requirements, sometimes leading to hospitalisation; a chronic struggle to make ends meet and eat enough whilst living on asylum support; and difficulty managing long-term health problems in a context of destitution, very low income, and lack of agency over what food one eats

IN FRANCE
On Wednesday 6 March, the UN’s International Organization for Migration said that at least 8,565 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023, making it the deadliest year since records began a decade ago. Figures for deaths in and near the English Channel are among those that have risen.
Since our last update. On 29 February, a number of people fell into the water from a boat, and one was initially rescued but did not live long. Additionally, at least two bodies (reports vary) were seen floating but could not be recovered immediately.
On 3 March, a 7-year-old Iraqi girl, Rola, was drowned in the canalised River Aa in Watten, between Gravelines and St Omer under the eyes of her eight-months pregnant mother, her father (who was taken into custody) and her three brothers during of the sinking of their stolen boat.
The location reflects a trend to attempt to start journeys inland to avoid coastal police patrols. During the previous night, a 27-yr-old Iraqi, Jumaa Al Hasan, disappeared without trace when police used tear gas to try to stop vessels using the canal. His body was recovered on 19 March.
A further tragedy occurred on 1 April, on a road by the Loon-Plage, refugee camp near Dunkirk. A migrant aged 30 to 35 was stabbed to death in the afternoon.

Phil writes: This poem was drawn back to my attention a couple of weeks ago. It deserves to be widely shared.

Refugees
They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way
(now read from bottom to top)

This “reverso poem” was posted in March 2016 by the pseudonymous poet and writer, Brian Bilston. He began publishing short and pithy, often humorous, poems on Twitter, which were then spread widely on social media and has been described as “The Poet Laureate of Twitter” and as “The Banksy of the Poetry World.”

More food for thought:
“These young men risking their lives on the boats, they’ll be anything from 20 to 30. Which means that they are figures of incredible investment. Somebody’s given birth to these kids, brought them up, spent money on them. They are a colossal loss for the place they have left … I never understand why it is not presented for what it is: a story of third world subsidy for advanced economies.” (An ‘Observer’ quote in April, from artist and filmmaker, Sir John Akomfrah, whose family fled Ghana after his father was killed following a failed CIA-backed plot to overthrow Nkrumah in 1966.)
May the Easter Season bring you new resolve and a refreshed outlook.

Ben + Phil.
Follow us on (what was once) Twitter

‘Seeking Sanctuary’ aims to raise awareness about people displaced from their homes and to channel basic humanitarian assistance from Faith Communities and Community Organisations via partnerships with experienced aid workers. Our special concern is for the 2000 or so exiles who are stuck in north-western France, mistakenly expecting a welcome in the UK.

They need food, water, good counsel and clothes, which are accepted, sorted and distributed by several organisations, including two Calais warehouses which also supply needs further afield.

Further information from Ben Bano on 07887 651117 or Phil Kerton on 01474 873802. See our latest
news at www.seekingsanctuary.weebly.com

Refugee Crisis

NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin April 2024

The April NW NJPN E Bulletin covers a range of wide range of issues plus dates for your diary.

A recent study into social isolation in Britain by the Belonging Forum think tank reveals that 50% of young women and 40% of people living in rented accommodation struggle with loneliness. This theme is picked up in a personal account of a radical life-style change by Canadian urban worker Karen Reed.  She says ‘our lives have become so fragmented and privatized and independent – which has set a course for isolation and alienation – that we have learned to function in our daily life without knowing even one neighbour’s name’ (see pages 8-9 of the bulletin) And as Native American Indian poet Joy Harjo says on page 3 in her poem ‘This morning I pray for my enemies’: ‘An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend’.

 

The winners of this year’s Columban Media Competition for young people on the subject ‘Biodiversity Matters are announced today – 21 March – the UN’s International Day of Forests. I was delighted to see winning entries in print and artwork categories from the school that my daughters attended, and now my two eldest granddaughters.  The winning design in Britain, ‘Love of the World’ (see page 10) was commended by Mary Colwell, author and champion for curlew recovery and nature education.  Mary’s conservation work features on pages 11-12 of the bulletin. 

 

As Lent draws to a close I’ve included some reflections on pages 14-15 including a prayer for peace in The Holy Land from the Iona Community. 

 

Wishing all our readers a blessed and holy Easter,

 

Anne O’Connor      

NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin April 2024 

NJPN North West

NJPN E-Bulletin on Gaza

So much to pray about…

The above Flag Map of Gaza is from Wikimedia Commons and the author is DrRandomFactor
 

“In our pain, anguish, and lament, we have searched for God, 
and found Him under the rubble of Gaza” 
Rev. Munther Isaac 

Dear Friends,

This week we are talking about Gaza. The ongoing war, and the humanitarian disaster that is occurring is right under our noses, and yet nothing seems to be done about it. People have been asking us what they can do to help, and have wanted to understand more about the situation.
With help from Pat Devlin, who spent some time as an Ecumenical
Accompanier, and from our friends at Pax Christi, we have put together a few articles which we hope will explain more about what is going on, and where it all stemmed from – and may even make you want to do more.

Regards and blessings to you all,

Sharon
 

Action of the Week

 

An open Letter to our Christian Faith leaders. 

The unthinkable violence in the Holy Land has shaken us. The horrific brutality of the Hamas assault on 7 October has been met with months of unrelenting bombardment causing unthinkable death, injury, and destruction. With the denial of the essentials of life
– water, food, shelter, medicine – and a litany of dehumanising and incendiary rhetoric, we’ve watched the worst impulses of revenge and rage take hold.  
As we approach Holy Week, Pax Christi International, an organisation dedicated to nonviolence as the only path to a sustainable peace, implores you to speak out forcefully
and often calling for an end to this carnage. Not one more life should be sacrificed. In sermons and parish messages, in pastoral letters and statements you have the unique power to awaken the hearts and minds of the faithful.
We beg you to use it. Call for an immediate bi-lateral ceasefire, the release of all hostages and those held in Israeli detention and the restoration of critical UNRWA funding.  
Our resolve and courage to stand with the powerless is being tested. We look to you, our spiritual leaders, for a prophetic voice to denounce the evil of war and the killing of so many innocent men, women, and children…some barely in this world for hours.  
Do we speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable…those caught in the crosshair of bullets and bombs? 
Does our collective Christian voice echo the teachings of Jesus or has it, in its tepid silence, become another weapon?  
We shudder to think that the cries of the living stones of Palestine have fallen on deaf ears.  
When will our sisters and brothers in Gaza know that the Church has not abandoned them? 
Or, like Jesus, will they be left to suffer alone in a garden of rubble? 
Have we too fallen asleep?  

The time to speak is now. There is not a minute to waste. 

The above, from Pax Christi International, is meant for Christian Faith Leaders. Please pass it onto any Christian Faith Leader that you know of – let’s spread the word.

Thank you.
 

Event – From ‘Projects in Palestine’ , on Facebook 

Our next event is on Sunday 24th March, 3pm-5pm
at Commongroundcoventry,
FarGo Village, Far Gosford Street, Coventry. 

Facts on the Ground. 
Working as a Human Rights Observer in the West Bank.

They write: – Ann Farr has worked alongside Palestine Partners for 25 years and as well as frequent personal visits has led groups on tours. She has served as an Ecumenical Accompanier, a Human Rights Observer, living in the West Bank alongside those threatened with extreme violence from those in
surrounding Israeli settlements.

Ann is a member of Pax Christi International’s Working Group on Palestine/Israel,which works to raise awareness and advocates locally, nationally and internationally, within church and political arenas for justice and freedom for the Palestinian people and adherence to international law and human rights.

Ann will be talking about her experiences, what she has witnessed and no doubt, talking about the current situation in Gaza and The West Bank.

The event will be held in Commonground, at Fargo Village, which is an event space with a café.                The café will be open all day. We will begin the talk around 3.15pm, but please feel free to arrive before and have some food and grab your place.

Ann will also have the Zaytoun products with her for sale on the day.

This is a free event, but as always, we as a charity rely on donations.

We will also have our stall there too.

Recruiting Human Rights Monitors for 2025 (with a deadline of 14th April 2024)

 
Quakers in Britain write: – The human rights monitors we send are called
Ecumenical Accompaniers. We call them EAs for short.

EAs spend 3 months in Palestine and Israel monitoring human rights violations and standing in solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists.
When they come home they give talks in their local communities and advocate for an end to the military occupation of Palestine.

EAs need to be flexible, hard-working, physically and emotionally robust, open to hearing from different perspectives, and able to represent the programme in a professional manner.

No previous monitoring experience is required. Your expenses will be paid and a living allowance provided.

We recruit a year in advance and provide in-depth training and resources to help you to prepare.

Recruitment for EAs for 2025 is now open and you can apply via our job pages.
Please see the 2024-25 role description (PDF) for an idea of what the work involves,
and check the essential information (PDF) before you apply.

Action

Palestine Solidarity Campaign are holding pretty much weekly actions against what is going on in Gaza. On Friday, they wrote: – Hunger is killing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.  Last week, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 21Palestinians, including 17 children, had died of malnutrition and hydration caused
by Israel’s genocidal campaign. 

The government’s smears against our principled movement for justice are an attempt to distract from Israel’s ongoing genocide, and the UK’s active complicity in it.
We must not let them change our focus.

Obviously, it is too late for the actions they had around the country this weekend, but please sign up to their web page for details of any future events.

 

Palestine and Israel – What’s to be done?  
 
Pat Devlin writes: – When we see our TV screens filled with images of deadly violence once more in Palestine and Israel – the Holy Land for Christians Jews and Muslims alike, we can feel helpless.

But, Palestinian Christians have been calling on us, the Universal Church and the International Community, through their Kairos Document issued at the end of 2009 to respond in some very specific ways. They don’t want hand wringing and empty words of sympathy – they want our action – now more urgently than ever.
They have called on us to: pray; to inform ourselves about the history and the current reality of the situation; to urge our politicians to take economic action as the most effective non violent way of achieving an immediate ceasefire leading to rebuilding life in Gaza, an end to the Occupation of the West Bank, and an end to the discriminatory laws in Israel, thus opening the way to a Just Peace, and when the violence subsides to come and see, meeting with their communities during any visit to the Holy Land

I have outlined below some very practical ways that we can respond to the longstanding call of Palestinian Christians. No-one can do all these things but everyone can pray and do at least one other action

Prayer
 

  •  Organise monthly prayer in parishes
Resources could be supplied for last Saturday of the month:
email patdev48@btinternet.com

Stay informed and Hear other Voices from the heart of the conflict
 

  •  Get regular updates on the situation in the West Bank
– Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel 
http://eepurl.com/bObPFX
 
  • Personal Stories and visions of a different future from:
Parents Circle: Israeli & Palestinian bereaved families working together                                                              for a just peace https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en

Combatants for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians formerly involved in the armed
struggle, now committed to nonviolent means to achieve a just peace
https://cfpeace.org/
 

  • · Reports & Statistics from Israeli information centre for Human Rights
          B’tselem https://www.btselem.org/
 
  • Invite speakers + join online webinars eg https://fmep.org/events/
  • Holding onto humanity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldEIyjw9hhU                                            (Oct 20th) I found most moving and informative the contributions of Jamil                                                 and Chen, both founder members. Chen was a major in the Israeli Defence                                              Force (IDF)
  • Courage in the Unknown:                                                                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_WtxPzp6m0&t=25s (Dec 8th)                                                            This includes contributions from an Israeli whose parents were killed in the                                                 Hamas massacre and a Palestinian who has lost 50 family members in                                                      Gaza.
Take Action

Show solidarity:
 

 
  • Organise silent vigils outside your Church, at your MPs office or in any other                                      prominent local place
 
  •  Join major rallies in Newcastle or London info at                                     https://www.facebook.com/newcastlepsc/                                                                                                      Although organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign , you will find small                                                  numbers of Jewish people at these rallies and the there is a strict ban                                                        on anti-Semitic content or activity
Lobby

Email your MP asking them to support
 

  • An immediate ceasefire as a prelude to inclusive negotiations leading to a just peace
 
  • An arms embargo on Israel (because of its systematic violations of                                                       international law, including the disproportionate use of force against                                                     civilians)
 
  • A ban on importing goods from illegal Israeli Settlements
Boycott : Particularly important given the current army supported surge in                                             Israeli Settler violence in the West Bank
 
  • Companies who manufacture goods in or support Illegal Israeli Settlement                                             eg Motorola; Keter (plastic garden stores),
Companies profiting from the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories·                                                eg Hewlett Packard (supply security systems for checkpoints, prisons)                                                         For further info: email patdev48@btinternet.com

Donate to:

Medical Aid for Palestine whose aid is particularly invaluable in Gaza https://www.map.org.uk/donate/donate

Hebron International Resource Network                                           https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/7827#/DonationDetails
Helping communities stay on their land, education+livelihoods.
Currently responding in the West Bank to massive increase in demolitions, loss of                                                               livelihood and inability to pay higher education fees, and the plight of Gazan workers                                                            expelled from Israel but unable to return to Gaza

Come & See

This will be so important when the violence subsides

Pilgrimages: Let’s ensure all our diocesan pilgrimages include encounters                                                 with Palestinian Christians – the Living Stones Through Sabeel Palestinian                                                   centre for Liberation theology https://sabeel.org                                                                                                  Or Kairos Palestine https://www.kairospalestine.ps/ or                                                                                        Pax Christi(see below)                                         

Encounter & awareness visits:

 
 
 
 
 
SAVE THE DATE…On Thursday 27th June, we will be holding our next                                                 Evening Open Meeting, where we will be discussing the war in Gaza,                                                         and Pat Devlin will speaking. More details to follow nearer the time.

The Last Word…

On 4th March 2024, Sabeel wrote: – Last month, members of U.S. Congress                                              received more than 500 olivewood hearts made and blessed in Bethlehem                                                 from the United Church of Christ. Each wooden heart represents one beating                                                 heart of the nearly 12,000 Palestinian children killed in Gaza since October 7th.
The hearts were accompanied with a letter urging Congress to “raise your voice
for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land. True peace can only be achieved
through the pursuit of justice for all parties involved.” 

● Prince of Peace, it has been over 150 days with no ceasefire. We come before
you bewildered that the Western world has not exercised their power to stop the loss
of so many lives, loss which will damage generations to come.
Lord, bring an immediate ceasefire and give us courage and wisdom to pursue
a just peace in our land.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer  
NJPN eBulletins

Latest news from SCM

Welcome to March’s In The Loop!

Whilst Spring is still on its way, we’re here with lots of exciting events news to tide you over until the warmer weather! We’ve got our AGM coming up in April where members can stand and vote in General Council elections, plus we’re super stoked to announce our National Gathering Theology Day in June! Plans for that are shaping up, so stay tuned for more info… Our Bonhoeffer trip is also back this summer, but it’s now the Bonhoeffer European Pilgrimage! Join us to take in the wonders of Cologne, Berlin, Brussels, and Coventry and explore reconciliation work across Europe.

Lent is also well under way, and we’ve been exploring what it means to meet Jesus again for the first time. Through blogs, prayers, and reflections, we’re inviting you to take part in a lenten journey of rediscovery with us. Check out our blogs section this month for our first three Lent blogs, including an intro to the series from William, and stories of meeting Jesus through queering the BIble, and psychoanalysis, from our members!

As ever, read on to find out what we’ve been up to and what’s coming up in the world of SCM!

From all of us,
Grace and peace.
 
 

AGM – save the date!

Our 2024 AGM will be held on Teams on 22nd April at 7pm. Members will have the chance to shape the future of the movement by voting on any proposals to the AGM and by electing our General Council (GC), SCM’s student-led decision making body. More details about standing for GC will be released soon, but you can book onto the meeting now if you’re a member, or eligible for membership!
Book onto the AGM
 

National Gathering Theology Day

Our first National Gathering Theology Day will be happening on Saturday June 22nd at St Pancras Church in London! We’ll be gathering to explore inner peace and outer pacifism, and what this means in light of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. We are approaching lots of exciting speakers and plans are well underway, and we’d love it if you could join us. More details will be released soon, so watch this space!
 
 

Berlin Trip 2024

Our Bonhoeffer trip is back and this time, it’s a pilgrimage. Not content to simply explore Bonhoeffer’s links in Berlin, the pilgrimage will start in Coventry and stop over in Cologne before reaching Berlin. There will also be a night in Brussels on the way back. Bookings are only open for a few of weeks, so secure your place now!
Book your place
 

March 14th: Uni Mental Health Day

We want students in our Universities to thrive, to be empowered to grow in themselves, and to live life to the full. A few years ago, we teamed up with Space to Breathe to create a practical mental health guide for students to help them do just that! Download your free copy today.
Download Well Beings
 

Not Equal Yet Conference

Join the Not Equal Yet Conference this April, where they will address the urgent need to end discrimination against women in the CofE You can expect thought-provoking discussions and practical strategies, exploring ways to create a more loving community of belonging for all, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation.

This live event is sponsored by WATCH (Women And The Church) who believe that God’s love knows no boundaries, and discrimination has no place in our faith. Don’t miss out on this important event as we work together towards building a more inclusive future! Even better, Not Equal Yet is free to all students!
Not Equal Yet Conference
 

The Gathering in Oxford is a space provided by New Road Baptist Church for Students and others to explore big questions of faith in an inclusive environment. So if that’s not a massive cross over with SCM, we don’t know what is! Our very own Revd Naomi Nixon was lucky enough to be invited to go there to speak last Sunday and the welcome was wonderful. Students from three different SCM groups showed up and they reconnected with tales of last year’s Berlin trip and the hopes for this year’s National Gathering. Naomi talked about Revelation, the new heaven and the new earth and the discussions afterwards were lively and warm, as was the delicious food which older people from the congregation had prepared. Naomi came home buzzing from the joy of being with members old and new and God being in the midst of us.
Watch Naomi’s Talk
 
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time
“For many of us, our understanding of who Jesus was and is for us today develops and changes throughout our lives. And for those of us who call ourselves Christian, there is often a moment to which we can point where we rediscover Jesus for ourselves.” Read: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by William Gibson
The Gospels are Queer
“Reading the story of Jesus through a queer lens and exploring the possibility of seeing me and my experience reflected back in millennia-old sacred text is what has returned my faith back to me.” Read: The Gospels are Queer
Meeting Jesus in Psychoanalysis
“I didn’t expect to meet with Jesus here. Indeed, I was very anxious that it was a profoundly un-Christian thing to do.” Read: Meeting Jesus in Psychoalanysis
 
We love hearing what you’re up to as part of the movement. Please feel free to drop us a message using any of the links below to let us know what’s happening in the movement where you are! #StoriesFromTheMovement
Young People

NW NJPN E BULLETIN MARCH 2024

The NW NJPN E BULLETIN MARCH 2024 has a range of topical issues plus resources for Lent and a packed diary of events throughout the region and nationwide. The recent NJPN Zoom meeting on climate change leads this month’s bulletin with two articles from those present. You can read another report from Marian Thompson who edits MouthPeace for the NW (link on page 14). There’s a short drama on the story of the Good Samaritan which can be used for school or youth groups – feel free to adapt if you wish (thanks to Sister Philomena Grimley SHCJ from Blackpool for providing this).  I was especially moved by the story of the Birds of Gaza (page 3) from Dr Philip Crispin which I first read on Independent Catholic News and also the heartfelt BAFTA Fellowship acceptance speech from actor Samantha Morton (page 10) as she speaks from her personal experience of growing up in care.

Please read and pass on.

Best wishes

Anne O’Connor

NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin March 2024

NJPN North West

Spring MouthPeace 2024

In this copy there is a report on the NJPN open meeting on the theme ‘Live or let die’ .  There are reports from Pax Christi and also several articles and events about  environmental issues, plus reports from Lancashire Churches Together and Citizens UK about Voter Registration in preparation for the election.  
 
Thank you 
Marian
 
NJPN North West

URGENT PETITION TO MICHAEL GOVE

NJPN supporter James Buchanan has asked if we can support this appeal.

 

“Michael Gove: Keep your pledge on Inter Faith Network Funding!”

Sign and share petition until 29 February – Petition hand-in: Monday 26 February

 

In recent weeks, Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Communities) announced his decision to withdraw £155,000 of funding to Inter Faith Network (IFN) already offered in July 2023, following the appointment of an IFN Trustee who is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

 

John Woodhouse (interfaith supporter and Catholic campaigner) has set up a change.org petition calling on Michael Gove to reverse his decision and continue funding IFN, which has already been signed by 2,100+ people.

 

Please sign and share the petition to help us reach 3,000+ signatures by Monday:

https://www.change.org/p/urge-michael-gove-to-maintain-funding-for-the-interfaith-network-for-the-uk

 

In the House of Commons, MPs criticised Mr Gove’s decision as “extraordinarily stupid,” emphasising that interfaith dialogue is “more important than ever” at this time of increased antisemitism and Islamophobia. As a result of Mr Gove’s decision, Inter Faith Network is unfortunately set to close.

 

Last November, the Archbishop of Canterbury hosted an Inter Faith Week event (an initiative of IFN) at Lambeth Palace, which was attended by King Charles III, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and 30 other faith leaders.

 

NJPN welcomes this opportunity to support this appeal. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales is a member of IFN and the RC Bishop of Nottingham has expressed his concerns. Please sign and share the petition now.

 

Anne Peacey,  NJPN Chair

 

Campaigns

NW NJPN E BULLETIN for February

A packed NW NJPN E BULLETIN for February with articles and resources for Lent inside the bulletin and also attached below.  Please feel free to make use of these and pass on to others.

Thanks to Bernadette Bailey in Macclesfield for an excellent Live Simply Lent Calendar (attached in online and print format)

 

Wishing you all the blessings of the season.

 

Anne O’Connor

 

NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin February 2024 

Stations of the Cross

Livesimply Lent Calendar_2024_on line version

Livesimply Lent Calendar_2024_print version  

NJPN North West

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